German far-right group wants to show anti-Islam film: report

A German far-right group wants to stage a Berlin screening of the provocative anti-Islamic movie that sparked violent protests across the Muslim world, a report said.

“For us, it’s a question of art and freedom of expression,” Manfred Rouhs, head of the small “Pro Deutschland” group told weekly news magazine Der Spiegel in its edition due out on Sunday.

German Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich told Der Spiegel he would use every legal means at his disposal to stop them.

“Such groups and organizations only want to provoke Germany’s Muslims,” he said, accusing them of recklessly pouring oil on the fire.

Pro Deutschland is known for its provocative demonstrations. Last month about 50 of its activists staged demonstrations outside three Berlin mosques, in action they said was aimed at Islamist extremists.

They brandished copies of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that sparked violent reactions across the world when they were first published in a Danish newspaper.

Islamic law prohibits depictions of the prophet.

The ‘Innocence of Muslims’ film, which portrays the Prophet Mohammed in insulting terms, has sparked a wave of deadly anti-American protests since Tuesday during which mobs have attacked U.S. missions, schools and businesses.

In the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Friday, around 5,000 protesters stormed the embassies of Britain and Germany.

Condemning the attack on the embassy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Friday expressed concern that the violence over the film would spread to other the Arab countries.